For Human Resource Leaders

As an HR specialist, your objective is to identify, attract and hire top candidates across all corporate functions.  And while most HR departments are able to effectively recruit for  a wide variety of positions, quickly and efficiently filling critical tax roles often requires the help of a proven recruiting specialist.

At TaxSearch, we’ve witnessed the change in the marketplace for world-class tax professionals, a shift that often makes it difficult for HR specialists to properly support the tax function. Not only are elite candidates notoriously hard to attract and engage, but such searches are typically complicated and time-consuming. 

Additionally, the current demand for top tax professionals far outweighs supply due to 

1. Shifting demographic trends.
2. The demands associated with the 2018 tax reform.
3. Regulatory pressures from NGOs.

For over three decades, TaxSearch has been working with HR talent acquisition specialists and the tax departments they serve to help recognize, recruit and retain world-class talent. Along the way, we’ve identified three key beliefs that can slow --- if not entirely undermine – the ease and speed in which an HR professional is able to successfully fill a critical tax position. 

Belief #1
"We can find and hire the right talent ourselves."

HR professionals are remarkably nimble, with a unique ability to juggle dozens of responsibilities.  However, for many HR department leaders, there is a misguided assumption that filling critical tax roles is something that can be managed in-house. In addition to market challenges from tax reform, regulatory pressures and demographic shifts, the most talented tax professionals are highly cautious, rendering them exceptionally difficult to attract and engage.

As the largest executive search firm focused exclusively on tax, TaxSearch is more than a recruiter, we’re part of the tax profession. Our unique, enduring connection to the corporate tax community enables us to link you with world-class tax professionals that no one else can reach. Our specialization -- coupled with our outstanding reputation -- has resulted in a unique, deep-rooted penetration into the tax industry, both in the U.S. and abroad.

With over 100+ years combined experience in tax recruiting, retention and talent development, we understand that there are times when a self-sourced candidate is too promising to overlook, and we encourage you to pursue those opportunities first. In fact, many of our clients choose to incorporate their target applicants into our search process as part of a joint effort to find the ideal tax professional for critical tax positions. 

Not only does this partnership provide you with access to the entire spectrum of eligible tax professionals, but our unequalled consultative approach ensures that your company’s needs and wants are in alignment with what the candidate has to offer, and vice-versa. If the role is critical, you need TaxSearch.

Belief #2
General retainer firms already know us and can offer us more."

While you likely have a preexisting relationship with a reliable general retainer firm, the fact is they’re simply not specialists in the uniquely challenging world of tax.

General retainer firms may be highly skilled at filling many C-level roles in other functions, but top tax candidates can be exceedingly difficult to engage, requiring an existing connection or the help of a specialist like TaxSearch, a knowledgeable intermediary who can ‘talk the talk'.

Similarly, general retainer firms possess an international network and associations all over the world, but many of those relationships have resulted in multiple “off limits” constraints, meaning they’re limited in who they are allowed to recruit. TaxSearch also has access to a worldwide pool of talented tax professionals, but we only work with a small, select group of corporate clients. As a result, our comparably unlimited access to top-tier candidates, combined with our stellar reputation, global reach and sole focus on tax, have culminated in an immense sourcing pool with no equal.

And while a general retainer firm may have a head start with respect to past experience and related insight, we can quickly get up to speed on company culture and even identify and recruit to fit the tax department subculture, as well as those of any key cross-functional groups.

In fact, for us, learning the nuances of your company’s many cultures is a piece of cake. Filling your most critical tax roles by seeking out the talent that will bring your tax department the most success, while seamlessly meshing within those existing cultures, is not so simple. And is what sets us apart.

TaxSearch solves your tax staffing problems by connecting you with superior talent, then helping you with retention and development. We’re not just a recruiting firm, we’re a partner. We’re dedicated to the tax profession and believe in collaborating to help build and maintain world-class tax departments. 

Belief #3
"All tax-specific firms are the same."

While there are other recruiting firms with a focus on tax, none of them have the depth, the relationships or the credibility of TaxSearch. Along with their commoditized approach, the methodology employed by the other boutique firms is quite different from ours, and the level of attention they offer is far less than what TaxSearch provides. In addition, our policy of transparency affords those hard to find, elite tax professionals the confidence to quietly and confidentially explore your opportunity to see if it’s a good fit before they come forward as a potential candidate.

Furthermore, TaxSearch has developed and maintained a much higher level of trust within the tax industry than any other boutique firm in the country. This is due to our longevity, as well as our reputation for putting out one-of-a-kind thought leadership publications and timely data intended to further tax industry knowledge and enhance career development. As a result, we’re able to identify and communicate with your ideal candidate, even those that are seemingly satisfied in their current role or otherwise off the market.

Additionally, TaxSearch focuses on identifying mutual goals, as well as satisfying the ‘circle of influence’ on both sides. Specifically, after establishing compatibility, we analyze the input and requirements of all critical influencers, ranging from spouses, families and mentors, to company leaders and key tax team staff members in order to identify any potential issues.
 
These critical conversations are held at the forefront of the search, eliminating unexpected and unwanted surprises later in the recruiting process. The TaxSearch approach focuses on identifying barriers to success, like compensation expectations that are out of alignment with what is being offered, or personal hurdles, such as when a candidate’s spouse opposes relocation.
 
While we limit the number of new clients we take on in order to continue to effectively recruit, we offer a free, no-obligation consultative search analysis meeting to determine that our goals are compatible. At TaxSearch, our goal is for mutual success, and we will only take on an open position where we’re 100% confident we will exceed your expectations.

Your company is counting on you to recruit top talent for critical tax roles; count on TaxSearch to ensure you succeed. Start here today.